Ten-wicket triumph takes county back to the top

Essex completed a resounding 10-wicket win over Kent to return to the top of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two table.

The visitors avoided an innings defeat thanks to a superb eighth-wicket partnership between Sam Northeast and James Tredwell, who both hit centuries in a 222-run stand.

But once Tredwell eventually fell to Matt Quinn, the home side quickly wrapped up the Kent innings to leave themselves needing just nine runs for victory.

And after Nick Browne hit two fours off Adam Ball in the first over, England Test captain Alastair Cook nudged the matchwinning single.

Kent started the final day on 252-7, still 110 runs behind after seeing Essex make 569 in reply to their first innings score of 207.

And Tredwell hit Tom Westley for a pair of boundaries in the first over of the morning, before Essex took the new ball.

Tredwell had an escape when slashing at a delivery from Quinn and seeing the ball elude slip and fly to the boundary as Essex’s search for a breakthrough proved elusive in the first hour and Kent moved to 295-7.

And Tredwell made the most of his good fortune as he hit a boundary off Ravi Bopara to reach three figures from 199 balls, with 19 fours.

Kent reached lunch on 337-7, just 25 runs in arrears, with Tredwell unbeaten on 118 and Northeast on 145 not out.

But Essex finally got their man when Tredwell was caught by Ryan ten Doeschate off the bowling of Quinn to depart for 124.

Quinn then sent down a bouncer to Kagiso Rabada, who could only fend the ball up in the air for James Foster to take a catch and leave Kent nine down, and still six runs behind.

But Northeast hit successive fours off Graham Napier to ensure Essex would have to bat for a second time, before Quinn (4-60) forced Mitchell Claydon to pick out Bopara at square leg and end the innings on 370.

South Woodford’s Browne hit the first ball of Essex’s second innings to the boundary, then found the rope again just three balls later to level the scores.

And Cook then completed the task shortly before 3pm as Essex claimed maximum bonus points to go back to the summit at Kent’s expense.